Posts tagged Phil Mendelson

Many local housing advocates have been waiting for almost a year and a half to see how the DC Council would react to the newly-rewritten intro of the Comprehensive Plan. The Comp Plan guides future growth and development, and the intro (called the Framework element) is important because it lays out the vision for the rest of the document. Keep reading…

DC has few neighborhood plans, and most developments are decided case by case. The DC Office of Planning proposed new rules to rekindle neighborhood planning, but the council instead might take a different approach which would mean it’s far more involved than it has been. Keep reading…

Fifteen months after the public hearing on the DC Comprehensive Plan framework, council chairman Phil Mendelson released a proposal for changes to this first chapter of DC’s guiding document. Here are the main things he changed. Keep reading…

On Tuesday, July 9, the DC Council will take the first of two votes on the Framework Element of the Comprehensive Plan. This is the first chapter of DC’s massive Comp Plan and the subject of the epic 13-hour hearing all the way back in March… of 2018. The Comprehensive Plan is a 600-page document that supposedly guides all of DC’s growth and change, from housing to education to trash pickup. It’s most important on land use, since it sets policies that zoning boards must follow. Keep reading…

A rare opportunity to influence Metro policy at the highest levels has appeared. Following confirmation of continued ethics violations, Councilmember Jack Evans resigned his post on the WMATA Board of Directors Thursday, which leaves DC in need of a representative. Keep reading…

DC’s dedicated bus lanes need long-term political commitment to thrive amid the jungle of competing demands for our street space. That commitment had a visible boost Monday, as a group of DC councilmembers gamely tried out the H & I pilot bus lanes, and shared their thoughts on the value of bus priority in the District. Keep reading…

A long-awaited moment in budget season comes when DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson releases his package of budget changes, which combine, reconcile, and sometimes reverse things from the individual committees. Here are some of the changes most connected to issues we cover. Keep reading…

Here’s one of the changes proposed by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser to combat dangerous streets: transfer photo enforcement from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT). DC councilmembers Mary Cheh and Charles Allen disagree on whether to make this change, but Cheryl Cort argues it's the right move. Keep reading…

On December 4, the DC Council moved to divert an estimated $20 million in new tax funds it had pledged for homeless programs to instead reduce the property tax rate for commercial entities valued at $10 million or more. That could have funded permanent supportive housing for about 730 people or long-term housing vouchers to about 1,000 very low-income families. Keep reading…

You may have heard that the DC Council preliminarily passed a bill to limit Airbnb and similar rentals. You may have heard that people will still be able to rent out rooms or parts of their houses while they are there. Or the bill will let them rent the whole place while out of town, but only for 90 days a year. Here's what's really in that bill. Keep reading…

Elrich and Floreen advance very different approaches to enabling affordable housing in Montgomery County, S. Kathryn Allen has lost her place on DC's ballot, Ben Jealous continues to run far behind Hogan on a popular platform, Virginia Republicans offer their own redistricting plan, and more in our election links roundup. Keep reading…

Sean Spicer is raising money for the DC GOP, DC's ballot petition process is a mess, Floreen spices up the Montgomery County Executive race, Larry Hogan is bad on urbanism, Virginia's most prominent Republican candidates are being abandoned by their parties for very different reasons, and more in our election links roundup. Keep reading…

Election links are back! Marc Elrich’s narrow victory has been confirmed by a recount but a Democratic council colleague has decided to run an independent bid, seven DC council members support legislation to overturn initiative 77, the at-large council race begins to take shape, Matt de Ferranti discusses opportunities and challenges for Arlington, and more in our election link roundup. Want to stay on top of our 2018 election coverage? Sign up for our weekly newsletter!Keep reading…

At their confirmation hearing last month, four Historic Preservation Review Board Commissioners confirmed that community opposition to a historic nomination does not play a role in their decision, and that they only evaluate applications based on whether or not a nominated building or district is historic. That stands in stark contrast to other city agencies that are mandated to incorporate community feedback. Keep reading…

DC voters are pretty happy with their incumbents, based on results of Tuesday's primary, re-nominating Mayor Bowser, Delgate Norton, and all DC Council incumbents. Meanwhile, voters approved a change to the tipped minimum wage, 55-45%. Keep reading…

Justin Wilson defeats Allison Silberberg for Alexandria mayor, while Matt de Ferranti and Jennifer Wexton prevail in their primaries in Arlington and VA-10, respectively. Plus, Valerie Ervin drops out of the governor's race, more Mendelson vs. Lazere, and more election news. Keep reading…

We were impressed in particular by Lazere’s passion for his key issues and by Mendelson’s detailed and nuanced understanding of a wide variety of challenges facing DC. However, we also had concerns on all sides which led the Elections Committee to decide not to make an endorsement in this race. Keep reading…

Incumbents are heavily favored in DC this year, the Washington Post and DC Sierra Club weigh in on elections, Maryland's gubernatorial race is still neck in neck, Lazere and Mendelson duke it out for Council Chairman, Alexandria's city council race is crowded, and more in our election link roundup. Want to stay on top of our 2018 election coverage? Sign up for our weekly newsletter!Keep reading…